Machine for expanding sheet metal



June 19, 1928. 1,674,613

F. C. AREY MACHINE FOR EXPANDING SHEET METAL Filed May 18, 1925 7Sheets-Sheet 1 H N N O 5 r/ J W f/W June 19, 1928.

F. C. AREY MACHINE FOR EXPANDING SHEET METAL Filed May 18, 1925 III IIlliil June 19, 1928.

F. C. AREY MACHINE FOR EXPANDING SHEET METAL Filed May 18, 1925 7Sheets-Sheet 5 June 19, 1928.

Filed May 18, 1925 '7 Sheets-Sheet 4 June 19, 1928.

1,674,613 F. c. AREY MACHINE FOR EXPANDING SHEET METAL Filed May 18,1925 '7 Sheets-Sheet 5 June 19, 1928.

F. C. AREY MACHINE FOR EXPANDING SHEET METAL 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed May18, 1925 6&7

7 Sheets-Sheet 7 I: 0/ "v \'I w- A 1 v /%%A@\. KW Q v u 5 j a a a I J:lll l i l l I l l l I I I I I ll l w W e F. C. AREY MACHINE FOREXPANDING SHEET METAL Filed May 18, 1925 A7 IIIIW W V w? H June 19,1928.

Patented June 19, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRED G. Am, 01 OAK IPA-BK, mmOIB,-ASSIGNOB TO HIMSELF; J'QHN W. GLEASON,01' PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA; FRANK A. DORA, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.; WILLIAMI. FBEUDENBEICE, OI KENILWOBTH, ILLINOIS; AND FREDERICK H. CHE'ILAIN, OF

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, TRUSTEES.

mourn: ron' manure snan-r man.

Application fled my 18,1935. Serial No. 30,900.

There are various t es of machines for expanding a slitted s eet to openup the strands and produce a mesh of more or less diamond shape, one ofthese types operating on the principle of pushing portions of a slittedsheet, underlying and moving past a row or series of stationa diesarranged in step formation over said. ies and out'of the plane of thesheet, so as progressively to expand the sheet from one side toward theother; and the object of the present invention is to simplify andimprove the construction and operation of machines of this latter type.

In machines of the type in question, as heretofore constructed, theslitted sheet enters the expander with its transverse lines horizontal,and travels up an incline; thus requiring the machine to be very high atthe discharge end of the expander. One of the objects of the presentinvention is so to construct and arrange the parts of the machine thatthe machine as a whole is substantially horizontal, no portion thereofbeing necessarily any higher than the slitting mecha-.

nism or machlne.

In order to keep the machine low and horizontal, it is necessary'thatthe slitted sheets be approximately vertical, rather than horizontal atthe point of entry into the expanding mechanism; and, since the work ispassed through the slitting rolls in a horizontal condition, it isnecessa that the slitted sheet be twisted between t e point of slittingand the point of entry into the ex ander. f one end of-a horizontalmetal s eet is grasped and is twisted until that end is vertical, itwill be found that the metal does not set itself in gradual curves, butthat it is natural for the sheet to attempt to crease itself and tobuckle at opposite sides of the. crease. One of the objects of theresent invention is to roduce a simple and novel means for eflecting atwist 'n the slitted sheet, in such a manner that th sheet will not besubjected to uneven stresses, but will lay itself insuch curves thatthere is no tendenc for any loggitudinal line to be length'ne or shortena A further object of the present invention is to producea novelconstruction and arrangement'of dies and pushing wheels or discs Due tothe natural resiliency of the steel of which expanded metal lath ismade, the strands tend to spring back more or less after they leave theexpanding disc or wheel; and, viewed in one of its aspects, my inventionhas for its object to produce, a simple and novel construction and arrement whereby the strands, upon leavin t e expanding wheel, are held andgui ed so as to maintain them in the positions in the expanded sheetinto which they were initially rought.

The various features of novelty whereby mg invention is characterizedwillhereina er be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but, fora full understanding of my invention and of its objects and advantages,reference may be had to the following detailed description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a machine arranged in accordance with minvention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of t e machine; Fig. 3 is anelevation of a fragment of the slitted sheet, partially expanded; Fig. 4is a side elevation on the plane represented by line 44 in Fig. 5, of agroup of the stepped dies and feed rolls in front of which lies thesheet that is to be expanded, which sheet, at this point in the machine,has the appearance of that in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a transverse section, onan enlarged scale, through a portion of the expander, approximately onthe irregular line 5-5 of F1 6; Fig. 6 is a section taken a proximate yon line 66 of Fig. 5; Fig. is a view similar to Fig. 5, on a smallerscale, showing the entire machine, instead of only a fragment; Fig. 8 isa section through the guide, for twisting the sheet taken approximatelyon line 88 of Fi 1, but, being on a larger scale than Fig. 1; ig. 9 is atop lan view, partly in sec tion a fragment of the expander, showing theadjustablesu ports for the feed rolls, namely a view ta en approximatelyon the lane of the irregular line 99 in Fi 10; Fig. 10 is a sectiontaken approximate y on is "a section taken approximately on line V thetable.

- posite directions.

1111 of Fig. 7 and Fig. 12 is a section taken approximately on line12-12 of Fig. 7.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, 1 represents a long solidhorizontal base. On one end of the base is mounted a. suitable rotaryslitting machine 2 of any usual or suitable type. Near the opposite endof the base is arranged the expanding machine indicated as a whole at 3;the expanding machine lying at an acute angle to the longitudinal centerof the base and to the axes of rotation of the slitting rolls. Betweenthe slitter.and the expander is a long warped table 4, somewhat widerthan the slitted material delivered from the slitting machine.Overhanging'guides, 5, 5 are fastened to the table along the side edges,for the purpose of loosely holding the work on The table is twistedbetween its ends so that the end in the vicinity of the expander isvertical; the intermediate portion being in the form of a reversed curvesuch that any line running lengthwise of the table at a uniform distancefrom one of the long edges, is as long as any other line. Therefore whena sheet is fed along the table it naturally twists and bends itself tofollow the contour of the latter.

Just in advance of the expander is a feeding device 6 having suitable.rolls between which the sheet passes. The expander consists of two longframe members 7 and 8,

best shown in Fig. 7, these frame members being U-shaped in crosssection; the webs of these members being arranged parallel with eachother and the flanges projecting in op- The member 8 is deeper than theother member and rises at the top above the plane of the top of thelatter. Between the two frame members are two rows of vertical shafts 9and 10. Each of the shafts 9 is geared at its lower end to the oppositeshaft of the other group, by means of ear wheels 11, one on each of thetwo sha s; the gear wheels being of equal size so that the shafts willrotate at the same speed. The shafts 9 are driven in pairs, as bestshown in Fig. 11, there being a gear wheel 13 meshing with eachconsecutive pair of gear wheels on the shafts 9. The gear wheels 13 arefixed to vertical shafts 14 each provided, between its ends, with aspiral gear 15; these spiral gears meshing. with com lementary gears 16on a horizontal sha 17 extending lengthwise of the expander underneaththe lower flange of the rame member 7. Each of the shafts 9 has anenlargement 18 near its upper end, at about the top of the frame member7. Each of the shafts of the other row has a similar enlargement 19longer than the parts 18 and projecting upwardly above the upper ends ofthe members 18. The enlargements 18 and 1.9 are knurled or roughened soas to permit them to secure a tight grip on a. slitted sheet fed betweenthem, such a. sheet being)shown at A in Fig; 5.

11 top of the frame member 7 are fastened a number of blocks 20, eachoverhanging the space between the two frame members, and each supportingthe upper ends of one of the shafts 9; each support being preferably inthe form of a ball bearing 21. The inner vertical faces of the blocksextend close to the enlargements 19 on the shafts 10. Overlying theinner ends of the blocks 20 are a large number of comparatively smallshoes or dies 22 that project into the plane of the vertical workingfaces of the blocks 20 and so disposed that, as viewed.

from the side, they present a step-like contour highest at the inlet endof the expander. These die members are simply laid in suitable seats 23in the blocks and are held in place by means of a clamping plate 24which may be in two or more sections. Upon removing the clam ing-plate,which is fastened to the bloc s 20 by means of stron screws 25, the diemembers are left free an may be removed or replaced. The top of theinner end of the clamping late 24 is inclined at an acute angle an hasattached thereto, as a continuation of this inclined face, a table 26 onwhich the expanded work rests as will hereinafter be described.

Upon each of the shafts 10, above the enlargement 19 thereon, is a thickdisc or wheel 27 extending across the to s of the dies 22 at their innermargins, and eing spaced apart from the highest points'on-these dies adistance equal to the width of one of the strands, a, of the expandedmetal. The lower side of the disc or wheel is cut away for a shortradial distance along the periphery to form a secondary lower face 28spaced apart from the tops of the dies a distance equal to the width oftwo of the strands of the expanded metal.

The upper end of each of the shaft 10 is supported in a suitable ballbearing 29 eccentrically mounted in a cylindrical block 30 rotatablymounted in a rigid supporting plate or beam 31 fastened on to oftheframe members 8 and projecting t erefrom across the u per ends of theshafts 10. Each of the bibcks 30 has a stem 32 risingthrough the support31 and having fixed thereto an arm 33, as best shown in Figs. 9 and ;10.

To the free end of each of the arms 33 is hinged a rod 34 passingloosely throughan ear 35 on the support 31. On the free end of each rod,beyond the corresponding ear, is a strong coiled spring 36 restingagainst a;

thumb nut 37 screwed on the extreme end of the rod. These springs areunder an initial tension and tend constantly to turn the bearing blocks30 in a direction to force the shafts 10 toward the shafts 9. In otherwords, a sheet that is passing through the machine is being yieldinglypressed against the stationary blocks and the enlarge ments 18 on therolls 9, by the enlargements 19 on the other rolls. The slitted sheet tobe expanded is fed between the feed rolls as the l enlargements 18 and19 may be called, with a marginal portion projecting outwardly beyondthe dies 22 far enough to overlap the outer rim of the first wheel 27.As the sheet is fed forward, this marginal edge engages with theperiphery of this expanding wheel and is pushed laterally across the topof the dies. It is the outermost or marginal strand that is engaged bythe first wheel and, in pushing this strand outwardly, it also draws onthe second strand from the edge, as well as the third strand; the secondstrand being guided into the annular notch 28 in the wheel, the thirdstrand lying between the under face of the wheel and the top of the die,and the fourth strand being still engaged with the vertical face of thedie. As the work advances, the upper faces of the dies recede, in stepformation, from the horizontal plane of the first of the spreaderwheels, and therefore the spreader wheels as well as the feeding rollmembers 18 and 19 are arranged in step formation, the second set beinglower than the first and the third set lower than the second, and so onto the end of the series; Figs. 4 and 10 showing their step formation.The members 31 in which are mounted the bearin s for the upper ends ofthe shafts 10 are t erefore made in sections corresponding in number tothese shafts; thus'permitting the step formation of the supports for theupper ends of the shafts 10 to be readily obtained.

By the time the work reaches the second spreading or expanding wheel, itis the fifth strand from the outer edge that rides up over theperiphery; while the ninth strand engag% a third wheel. In other words,there are one-fourth as many wheels as there are strands across thesheet. Fig. 5 is typical of the condition that exists at each wheel, oneof the strands riding the periphery of the wheel and drawing out thenext strand through the connecting bond 6; the second and third strandslying between the under faces of the wheel and the top of thecorresponding die, and the fourth'strand, which still lies in the planeof the unexpanded portion of the sheet, lying against the vertical faceof the'die. It will be seen that one-half of the bond 0 between thethird and fourth strands is engaged with the vertical face of the die,while the other half extends across the gap between the top of the dieand the under face of the expanding wheel against which it abuts.Consequently this latter bond revents the fourth strand from beingpulled out vertically past the die.

As the sheet is expanded, the expanded portion wells out upon the table26 and moves lengthwise of the table. .There is a tendency for thestrands to spring back more nearly lnto straight lines, after theinitial expanding operation; and, to prevent this,

I have arranged above the table 26 a long guide bar 40 having in theface directed toward the table a series, of long ridges '41 betweenwhich the expanded strands feed and by which these strands are heldguided so that the finished sheet will have straight parallel sides. Inthe arrangement shown, as will best be seen from Figs. 1 and 7, thetoothed bar 40 is carried on the end of two arms 42 extendingtransversely of the table 26 and projecting beyond the same at the edgefarthest from the working faces of the dies. Each arm is hinged at itsouter end to a bracket 43 fixed to the table. There is a rod 44 hingedto each bracket and extending loosely through the corresponding arm 42.On the outer end of each of these rods is an adjustable nut 45, andbetween the nut and the arm 42 is a spring 46. This arrangement, it willbe seen, serves yieldingly to hold the toothed guide 40 upon the work.

There are more or less fine metal particles that drop from the work asit is being expanded and, in order to prevent these particles fromentering the bearings for the lower ends of the shafts 9 and 10, I placebetween the two frame members 7 and 8 a two-piece baflle plate orplatform, one member, 50, of which is fixed to the frame member 7 whilethe other member or section, 51, is fixed to the frame 8. The shafts 9extend through the member 50 and fit the holes through which they pass;the same being true of the shaft 10 and the member 51. Each of themembers 50 and 51 contains a layer 52 of packing material, that insuresdirtproof joints between these members and the shaft. The edge of themember 50 that engages with the member 51, is in the form of a trough 53that receives the edge of the member 51.

The lower ends of the shafts 9 are mount= ed in suitable bearings fixedin relation to the frame member 7, while the lower ends of the shafts 10have bearings that are fixed in relation to the frame member 9.Therefore, the machine may be opened by moving the frame member 8laterally, carrying the shafts 10 and the feed rolls 19 thereon awayfrom the cooperating shafts and feed rolls. During such separatingmovements, the sections 50 and 51 of the baflle plate or waste catcheralso move away from each other, but retain on their upper surfaces suchforeign matter as may have collected thereon.

At the end of the table 26 is a mechanism 60, of any usual or suitabletype, through which the expanded product passes and by which it isrolledso as to insure that it will be in the form of flat unwarpedsheets.

It will thus be seen that I have produced a simple and novel machine formaking expanded metal lath or the like, in which a slitted sheet isprogressively drawnover a stepped arrangement of dies to 0 en thestrands; the work being so dispose and so manipulated that the machineas a whole is low and the work is at all times under the observation ofa person standing on the floor beside and looking down at the machine.It will also be seen that I have provided a simple expanding arrangementthat does away with the need for rolls or dies to produce an initialpartial opening of the strands; and, furtl1er,'that I have provided asimple means for twisting the slitted sheet from a horizontal to avertical position, without danger of distorting the sheet or ofintroducing objectionable stressestherein; and finally that I haveprovided a simple means for holding the expanded strands against theirtendency to spring back, and guiding the finished product so as toinsure substantial arallelism of groups of strands from one e ge of theexpanded sheet to another.

While I have illustrated and described with particularity only a singlepreferred form of my invention, I do not desire to be limited to theexact structural details thus illustrated and described; but intend tocover all forms and arrangements which come within the definitions of myinvention constituting the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a machine of the character described, a slitting mechanism adaptedto act on a horizontal sheet, an expanding mechanism adapted to expand aslitted sheet entering the same in a vertical position, and meansbetween said mechanisms for guiding a slitted sheet in such a path thatall points in the sheet move through. curved paths of equal lengths.

2. In a machine of the character described, a slitting mechanism adaptedto act on a horizontal sheet, an expanding mechanism adapted. to expanda slitted sheet entering the same in a vertical position, and guidesbetween said mechanisms adapted to cause the sheet to be bent so thatone end is ver tical while the other remains horizontal.

3. In amachine of the character described, a slitting machine adapted toact on a horizontal sheet, an expanding mechanism adapted to expand aslitted sheet entering it in a vertical position, and a guiding tablebetween said mechanisms; one end of the table being horizontal, theother end being vertical, and the intermediate portion being bent on areverse curve.

4. In a machine of the character described, a row of stepped dies,expanding wheels arranged beside the dies, each wheel having its centralportion spaced apart from the nearest dies a distance substantiallyequal to the width of a single strand of the metal to be expanded andthe peripheral portion spaced apart from such die adistancesubstantially equal to the width of two strands.

5. In a metal expanding machine, a row of dies arranged in stepformation with their end faces in the same plane, a series of expandingwheels rotatable about axes parallel to said plane, each wheeloverlapplng the dies and having a central portion spaced apart from oneof the dies a distance approximately equal to the width of one of thestrands of the sheet to be expanded and having a peripheral portionspaced apart from the latter die a distance approximately equal to thewidth of two of such strands, and means for feeding a slitted sheet pastand in contact with said end faces with the bonds in certain rows in theslitted sheet engaged with said end faces and projecting across the gapsbetween the centers of said wheels and the dies nearest thereto and con-7 tacting with the centers of the wheels to prevent bodily transversedisplacement of the sheet.

6. In a metal expanding machine, a row of dies arranged in stepformation with their end faces in the same plane, a series of expandingwheels rotatable about axes parallel to said end faces and overlappingsaid dies, and means for feeding a slitted sheet past and lying flat.against said end faces, the parts being so proportioned that the wheelsengage peripherally with longitudinal rows of bonds spaced at re larinter vals apart across the sheet while another row of bonds near eachof the aforesaid rows lies partially against said end faces of the diesand projects beyond the dies into contact with the side of :thecorresponding wheel.

7. In a metal expanding'machine, a support, a series of narrow dieblocks lying side y side on said support and having their end faces atone end ly ng in approximately the same plane, a plate overlying saiddie blocks and projecting beyond the blocks at their other end, andmeans for fastening said plate in; said support to clamp the die blocksin p ace.

8. In a metal expanding machine, a support, a series of narrow dieblocks resting side by side along a marginal portion of said support andhaving their working faces in the vicinity of the edge of said marginalportion, a clamping plate extending across said blocks and resting atone edge on the blocks and at the other edge on said suprt, andadjustable fastening means passmg through said plate and into thesupport to draw the plate and support into clamping the shaft, anexpanding wheel on the shaft above the feed roll, and an adjustablebearing on the frame for the upper end of said shaft.

10. In a machine of the character described, two long frames arrangedside by side and spaced apart from each other, a row of vertical shaftsmounted in stationary hearings on the side of the first frame facing thesecond frame, a corresponding row of vertical shafts mounted on thesecond frame opposite the other shafts, the bearings for the lower endsof the second row of shafts being stationary and the bearings for theirupper ends being yieldingly pressed toward the opposite shafts, feedrolls on said shafts, dies on the top of the first frame, and expandingwheels fixed to the shafts on the second frame in position to overliethe dies.

11. In a machine of the character described, a table, means for feedinga slitted sheet along one edge of the table and expanding it so asprogressively to spread it on the table, and guide elements overlyingthe table and extending lengthwise thereof at an acute angle to theaforesaid edge, said guide elements being spaced at such a (listanceabove the table that they will engage the strands of the expanded sheetand compel them to travel along the said guide elements.

12. In a machine of the character described, a row of staggered dies, atable beside said dies, means for moving a slitted sheet along said rowof dies progressively to expand the same into open mesh and deliver itto said table, and guide elements overlying the table and extendinglengthwise thereof in the direction of travel of the sheet along thetable, said guide elements being spaced at such a distance apart and atsuch a distance above the table that they will en age the strands of theexpanded sheet an compel them to travel along said guide elements.

13. In a machine of the character described, two long frames arrangedside by side and spaced apart from each other, a row of "ertical shaftsmounted on the side of the first frame facing the second frame, acorresponding row of vertical shafts mounted on the second frameopposite the other shafts, the mountings of said shafts being such as topermit yielding movements of the shafts of one row away from the shaftsof the other row, feed rolls on said shafts, dies on top of the firstframe, and expanding wheels fixed to the shafts on the second frame inposition to overlie the dies.

14. In a machine of the character de scribed a frame, a die at the topof the frame, a vertical shaft below said die, a sec ond vertical shaftarranged beside the said first shaft, feed rolls on said shafts, anexpanding wheel on the upper end of the second shaft in operativerelation to said die, and means for supporting said shafts so as topermit yieldable relative movements from and toward each other.

15. In a machine of the character described, a slitting mechanismadapted to act on a horizontal sheet and an expanding mechanism adaptedto act on a slitted sheet entering the same in a vertical position toexpand the same and cause the expanded portions to lie at a considerableangle to the vertical, and means between said mechanisms for guiding aslitted sheet so as gradually to bring it from a horizontal to avertical position. p

In testimony whereof, I sign this specification.

FRED C. AREY.

